


His Return

by seductivembrace



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comic)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-25
Updated: 2010-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-07 13:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seductivembrace/pseuds/seductivembrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Spoilers for BtVS Season 8 comic "Wolves at the Gate" arc and beyond.* A dire situation forces Xander to seek refuge with an old friend... again. (Xander, Dracula) Pre-slash. <b>Sequel to "Until He Returns".</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	His Return

Prologue Drabble:

_Xander didn't think he'd ever go back, or quite so soon, but with the destruction of their castle and the likely death of so many slayers, he'd thought it would be safer to leave Dawn with the tree-like creatures in the forest while he made good his escape._

_Magic protected magic, or so he'd been told._

_He needed someone he trusted – someone powerful – to hide him, and his first instinct had been to come here._

_There was no telling how his reunion with Dracula would go. Or when the time came, if the vampire would actually allow him to leave._

It took Xander over a week to get to Transylvania, precious days spent backtracking and covering his trail out of Scotland, and his first thought upon spying Dracula's mansion was that it seemed gloomier than usual. Probably his imagination, but he couldn't suppress the thought that the roads seemed more deserted than normal. Then again, he was avoiding the main roads as much as possible for fear of being recognized and the woods he was traveling through that made up much of the landscape weren't often used by the populace, instead reserved for the inhuman creatures that roamed the night.  
   
He didn't bother with announcing his presence by knocking on the front door, instead choosing to skulk along the perimeter of the vampire's mansion once he stepped through the gates surrounding his home – gates that stood wide open, rather than closed and locked against intruders. His plan was to scale the sturdy vines growing along the wall to the second level veranda and sneak inside Dracula's bedroom, hopefully avoiding the rather observant servants. He didn't want anyone, except Dracula, to realize he was there.  
   
Something or someone wanted the Slayer – and by extension, her friends – dead, and the fewer people that knew of his whereabouts the better. 

He just hoped he wasn't interrupting the vampire with his nocturnal visit. 

"Please be alone. Please, _please_ be alone," he muttered to himself as he climbed, already envisioning Dracula's less than pleased look at having his fun interrupted. 

Xander reached the top and tumbled over the rail, scrambled to his feet and ducked behind a shrub to hide after the loud crash he'd made. He waited several minutes for the French doors to burst open and one irate vampire to appear, and when that didn't happen, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His clumsiness had gone unnoticed. 

Then he frowned. 

The last time he'd come, it was almost as if Dracula had known of his return… and been waiting, even if he'd acted bored and indifferent at his sudden appearance. 

_'Probably to cover his jealousy,'_ he thought. 

Though if asked by one of his friends, Xander would deny with his last breath that he'd recognized Dracula's mood, or even worse, felt pleasure in it. 

Xander stepped out from where he'd hidden and walked towards the double doors. The framed windows were covered by sheer curtains, enabling Xander to see inside the room. And what he saw had him scrambling for the door knob with both hands, ready to break the door down if he had to. The adrenaline flooding his body made his hands shake and several precious seconds passed before the knob finally turned and he yanked the door open. 

He rushed forward, heart pounding and wide-eyed, and dropped to his knees at Dracula's feet. 

"Master?" Xander murmured pleadingly from his place beside the chair; in contrast, his hands clutching the vampire's thighs with something akin to desperation. But it was as if the vampire hadn't heard or was even aware of his presence, and given his haggard appearance, Xander very much doubted he'd moved in some time. Dracula's face was gaunt and paler than normal, his hair disheveled; the clothes he wore were wrinkled, and he realized after taking a whiff, smelled rather rank. 

Xander wasn't sure how long he sat there at Dracula's feet, praying for some sign of life from the vampire; his legs had long since gone numb. He must have dozed off at some point, opening his eye only to find his head now resting against Dracula's leg. 

Something had woken him though. 

The touch was slight and barely ruffled his hair, but Xander jerked his head up to see Dracula staring down at him. 

"Manservant?" His voice was tired. 

"Master!" 

"Have I finally died then?" 

"No. No dying. You're still alive. Undead… er, well, you know. You're still you. Here. Like I'm here." 

"Here? How?" 

"Something happened in Scotland. The castle. It—" 

"Was destroyed. It exploded." 

"Yes." Xander nodded solemnly. "The slayers. They're all dead." 

"But not you." 

"No. Not me." 

Dracula smiled, faintly. He ran his fingers through Xander's hair again, pleased when the boy closed his eye and leaned into the petting. "I'm glad, Manservant." 

"Xander," Xander grumbled, his eye still closed. 

"Manservant," Dracula intoned, sounding somewhat like his old self. 

"Well… maybe just this once."


End file.
